Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 26 Robbery

Killing and looting, fighting on the battlefield, there is a huge difference between having armor and not having armor.

It has always been a hot commodity and can be sold for around 10,000 coins, but it is still in short supply. Even among the Northern Army, only a few elite soldiers wear armor.

Normally, to make a set of iron armor, the iron, leather, charcoal, and silk ribbons alone would cost eight or nine thousand coins, and it would take thirty or forty people half a year to complete.

If it is high-quality products such as Mingguang Armor and Heiguang Armor, the price will be several times higher, and the manpower and material resources invested will also increase.

Liu Daogui had been planning to keep it for future use, but now it seems he can't. Furthermore, maintaining the armor is a hassle, requiring frequent sand washing, drying, repairs, and greasing...

Otherwise, with the climate in Jiangzuo, it will be rusty in half a month.

"That's not enough..." Liu Daogui sighed.

Suddenly I remembered what Wang Mi said: If you encounter any trouble in the future, you can send someone to the palace in Wuyi Lane, Jiankang to inform us.

The Wang family naturally doesn't lack this little money. If they encounter any problems, they can go to him for help. Liu Daogui himself looks down on himself...

Liu Huaisu said, "With this ten thousand coins, I can find a few elders in the clan to chip in. If it's not enough, we can talk about it later. At least I can buy one first."

Although the clan will support him, it is not as easy as he said. Life is not easy for anyone these days.

"Okay, let's take it one step at a time." Liu Daogui slapped his thigh. This was the only way for now. His family needed money, and selling the armor would help them get through this period of time.

"Hey, if I sell it, I can eat meat!" Liu Zun was overjoyed.

"I'll go visit some of my elders right now." Liu Huaisu was decisive and efficient in doing things, without wasting a moment.

Liu Daogui and Liu Zun took their armor and went to Jiangjinkou overnight. On the other side of the river was Guazhou Ferry. There were many people coming and going, and there were also many evil spirits and monsters selling all kinds of things.

The biggest seller, of course, is people.

Boys, girls, men, women...

Murong Chui was a god of war who roamed across both sides of the river and was invincible. However, he was slightly lacking in governing the country. Bandits were rampant in the country, local tyrants acted recklessly, and various tribes attacked each other.

In the past two years, Zhai Wei, a member of the Dingling people, emerged right under his nose and started a fierce battle with the Xianbei people.

To avoid the war, people on both sides of the Yellow River moved south.

However, the Jin Dynasty was no better than the Yan State. It was no longer the era of Huan Wen's rule. They left things to their own devices, letting them fend for themselves. In order to survive, the people had no choice but to sell their children and themselves...

Liu Daogui was already accustomed to this kind of scene. Even the richest city in the world, Kuaiji, was full of starving people, not to mention Jiangbei.

After a night of blowing river breeze, two people came to ask for the price. Seeing that Liu Daogui was in urgent need of money, he lowered the price too low, only two thousand coins.

He was driven away by Liu Zun holding a ring-handled sword.

Black market business is not that easy to do.

He could only come again the next night. This time, the seller he met was more reliable and raised the price to six thousand coins, but it still did not meet Liu Daogui's psychological expectations.

The river breeze blew all night long again.

In the late night of the third day, as soon as Liu Daogui and Liu Zun entered Jinkou, several small boats swooped over from the water like wild ducks.

"Iron armor!" Several people's eyes lit up.

Liu Zun held two ring-handled swords and shaved his face back and forth, picking his teeth without feeling disgusted.

Liu Daogui also drew his sword and stuck it into the ferry stake. Seeing that this group of people came with bad intentions, he put on his armor and showed it to them, "If you know the value, please bid."

"Your armor is very worn out, and the helmet is broken. It's only worth three thousand." These people were obviously veterans, with vicious eyes, and they started to lower the price right away.

"If you really want it, take it for ten thousand." Liu Daogui often sells straw mats and straw sandals at the market and has rich experience.

"Ten thousand is too high, how about eight thousand?" Four or five people from the other side jumped off the boat and surrounded Liu Daogui and Liu Zun. The leader had a long and narrow scar on his mouth, which extended diagonally to his left ear.

Since it is a black market, it is inevitable that the blacks will rob the blacks.

These days the law is meaningless.

"This armor is 70% new, and ten thousand is already a low price. If I sell it in the market tomorrow, it will cost at least fifteen thousand coins." Liu Daogui bargained habitually.

Scarface glanced at Liu Daogui and Liu Zun, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, "I've changed my mind. Three hundred coins, either you keep the armor or your head!"

Liu Daogui was stunned. He didn't expect to meet a tough opponent right at the start. The other party was obviously so arrogant because he saw that he had fewer people, but three hundred coins were too little and not enough to fill his teeth.

There are five people in the Liu family, plus Liu Zun who is clamoring for meat, and Liu Yu who is lying on the sickbed... This is almost blatant robbery.

Several people who were doing slave business nearby were so afraid to avoid it that they rowed their boat away and watched the excitement from afar.

Liu Daogui and the other man were immediately isolated. Liu Zun stood in front of them, swinging two ring-handled swords, like a big crab.

However, two more people walked out of the boat, wearing leather armor, one tall and one strong. In the moonlight, one could clearly see the blood stains and knife and arrow wounds on the leather armor.

This person is either a strong man from Jiangbei or a defeated army heading south.

"Three hundred is three hundred." Liu Daogui held Liu Zun, smiling, and glanced at these people. There were no bows or crossbows.

"Jiangdong has always been home to rats, without a trace of blood. I've changed my mind. How about one penny?"

With a "ding" sound, Scarface took out a coin from his pocket, and it popped out from between his fingers and landed on the wooden board under Liu Daogui's feet, spinning non-stop.

The wind was blowing, the river was whistling, and all the swords on the opposite side were unsheathed.

Liu Zun beside him had a flushed face.

"Okay, whatever you guys say is what it is. Let's just consider it as making friends." Liu Daogui laughed.

"You're smart." The other party thought they had more people and didn't take the two seriously.

Liu Daogui took off his helmet and walked forward slowly, saying, "You must be heroes who have come south from the Central Plains."

"Hahaha, you have quite a good eye."

The armor plates on the helmet shone coldly in the moonlight, attracting the attention of several people.

Liu Daogui kept smiling, but the ring-handled knife in his hand had already thrust out. In the dim night, the knife stabbed silently and without any hesitation into the chest of the scarred man.

Scarface's smile froze on his face, and was immediately covered by fear.

"Kill." Liu Daogui shouted in a low voice, with the smile on his face unchanged. He gently drew out the knife, and a blood mist spread out. The strong smell of blood made his whole body excited.

His usual laziness was swept away, and he became as tense as a wolf that smelled blood.

"Die!" Liu Zun became even more ferocious and rushed over with two knives.

Liu Daogui rushed in front, relying on the iron armor on his body, and moved forward bravely. He felt three or four knives slashing and stabbing at his body, but without exception, all of them were bounced away.

And every time he stabbed, someone would fall to the ground.

He practiced with his elder brother Liu Yu since he was young. In addition to years of labor, fishing, hunting, and struggling for survival, his martial arts skills were naturally not too bad. Every household of the overseas Chinese in Jingkou retained the tradition of practicing martial arts.

Now that he is wearing iron armor, he is like a tiger among wolves, with no one to match him.

Amid screams, blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Liu Zun brandished two ring-handled swords, swinging them wildly and hitting whoever or whatever he hit. However, Liu Daogui was like a calm hunter, either not taking action or making a fatal blow.

Wherever the blade touches, it is either the throat or the heart.

Strictly speaking, these northern strongmen, bandits, and defeated soldiers were all defeated by the Northern Army.

He couldn't win on the battlefield, and was even less of a match in Jingkou.

In the blink of an eye, most of them fell down.

Only one person, realizing the situation was bad, ran toward the crowd of onlookers, shouting, "Help! Help!"

Liu Daogui was wearing iron armor weighing thirty or forty kilograms and could not catch up at all.

Seeing that the man was about to jump into the river, Liu Zun pounced on him, held down his feet, and dragged him onto the wooden path like a wild boar.

Liu Daogui caught up and stepped on his back.

"Spare...life..."

"Don't you think it's too late to beg for mercy now?"

With a "swish" sound, the long sword swung out a piece of moonlight, and the head rolled into the river.

Liu Daogui shook off the blood on his long sword and found that the blade was full of gaps...

(End of this chapter)